1. Key Words
Secure Key Server; Secure File Management; Secure Multimedia Management; Encryption/Decryption; Digital Watermarking
2. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for a secure file and multimedia management system using secure key server technology. More specifically, the present invention relates to the technology of secure key server based secure file and multimedia registration system, tracking system, digital identification system, and license checking system.
3. Related Art
With the advancement of interne and electronic technology within the last 20 years, many online services and applications have emerged. While these services and applications provide convenience for users, their digital security and copyrights become a vital issue.
For example, nowadays, users can store data in their own files, in databases, in an USB, or even in a public storage server. But how can the users be sure that the files/data are never be accessed by unauthorized individuals? One of the solutions is to encrypt the files. There are many advanced encryption/decryption techniques to protect electronic data. However, most of these are not easy to use. The encryption/decryption technology is currently used only by some experts, and the average user would be extremely burdened in understanding how to utilize such technology.
One of the benefits the interne revolution is that it allows people to download multimedia from a web server, and play it locally on a electronic device, like a computer, iPod, Smart Phone, etc. However, this convenience brings about a major copyright issue. How can the multimedia server, or multimedia owner, be sure that the downloaded electronic data (multimedia) is not further duplicated and/or distributed? There are some technologies on the market to protect the illegal copying of multimedia, like AACS [1]. However, utilizing AACS requires the users to change their hardware. Even less convenient is the fact that whenever this AACS security is cracked (and it was cracked three years after its first version was published), there is no way to protect copyright unless the distributor asks the users to update their hardware again.